The Bragdy Nant, Conwy, Purple Moose and Great Orme breweries, who reopened the Albion in Conwy in February 2012, have announced that they have taken over the old Australia pub in Porthmadog and the Bridge Inn in Conwy.

Gwynne Thomas of Conwy Brewery said 25 new jobs will be created by the acquisition of the pubs.

He said: “I’ve got a soft spot for the Bridge, as years ago it used to be the best pub in Conwy, and it’s in an amazing location just by Conwy Castle.

“It will be more family-friendly than the Albion, and there will be food. We’ll be serving traditional Welsh dishes like cawl.

Gwynne Thomas of Conwy Brewery at the Bridge Inn (Image: Steve Lewis)

“We think with the success of the Albion, the opening of a new tapas bar in the town, the continued success of the Liverpool Arms and the Castle Hotel, and with us taking over the Bridge Inn, Conwy will become a very real competitor to Llandudno as a night-time destination, although perhaps more for the 30s and over-40s demographic.”

Mr Thomas said the Australia will open before the summer holidays, and will have “more of a feel of the Albion”.

He said: “I think that, between all of us, we employ about 100 people in the breweries and in the pubs.

“We don’t want to overstretch ourselves, but perhaps in another couple of years we could expand further.”

Only months after opening with the financial backing of a mystery banker, the Albion was garnering rave reviews in national newspaper titles, and was named one of the best pubs in the world by the Observer.

Mr Thomas said: “I did have some worries as people were saying we’d need to offer Sky Sports, jukeboxes and food, but I think we’ve proved them wrong.

“The four of us got together and opened the sort of pub that we’d like to go to, and luckily it has worked.

“We are just as busy in the winter as we are in the summer, which is pretty incredible.”

Laurence Washington, owner of the Purple Moose brewery in Porthmadog, said: “I think the Albion has worked because we’ve created a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Many of our customers are people who wouldn’t normally go out otherwise.”